Fifty-one percent of Americans made a new year’s resolution to eat healthier in 2020, but only 8 percent of people actually stuck to their new year goals. Now for 2021, we have some superfoods to keep your diet supercharged for the new year.
Coconut oil, matcha, chia seeds, quinoa -- the list of fad superfoods to come in and out of fashion over the last couple of years goes on and on.
Experts say a superfood is classified as a food that is extremely nutrient-dense. For example, while celery has 1 to 2 percent of the nutrients that a person needs on a given day, kale may have 50 to 100 percent of the nutrients in the same serving size. Some other superfoods: oily fish, like salmon, trout and sardines, which have high levels of omega-3, can reduce inflammation and decrease your risk for heart disease. Beans, peas and lentils boast high levels of fiber, iron, zinc and vitamin B. And berries are loaded with antioxidants to fight off disease. A study out of Harvard has found that blueberries may be able to slow cognitive decline by 2 ½ years.
For a quick, healthy snack, look to walnuts. They are packed with iron, calcium, antioxidants, vitamin E and a bunch of other nutrients, which can improve your memory, help you get a good night’s rest by raising melatonin levels and reduce cholesterol levels.